We have read him books about being empathic, being kind, not bullying etc., we monitor what he watches and limit his tv

I was neglectful of my other guests, even my absolute favourite people, in favour of him. I was drinking too much and trying all the time not to catch my husband’s pleading, baffled, but slowly understanding eye.

For the first time, that night I could see myself as the other people in my life could see me. It was deeply unappealing and embarrassing. I hated myself. But I told myself that it was fine, as long as I kept drinking and the party went on.

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s set about rebuilding a world — yes, a whole world — which would be free of poverty. The explicit goal was to end war forever. Utopian? Sure. We’ve forgotten that today — they don’t teach it to us. Have you ever wondered why? It’s because today’s “wise men” are cynics, and cynics are fools. But I digress. A world without poverty, and thus a world without war. Were they successful? The world has in fact made long strides to eliminating extreme poverty. And that’s a result of the institutions these great minds created. The World Bank. The UN. And so on. A limited, but meaningful success. The point of these institutions was to invest in poor countries — and break the vicious cycle of violence which had come to rule the world.)

He said that we could be discreet. He said it would be fine. He said that the next day, under cover of visiting a friend of mine, we would have a night away together. That night away would be my birthday present.

Of course, Fortnite isn’t the only digital venue owner that’s open for business. Other popular massively multiplayer online games, or MMO games for short, such as Roblox and Minecraft, have also been exploring the potential of evolving beyond its gameplay and becoming a digital third place for people to socialize online and participate in virtual live events together. And these games are already huge platforms: Fortnite reported more than 350 million registered players in May, Minecraft surpassed 131 million in October, and Roblox has 150 million as of July. Notably, more than half of U.S. kids and teens under the age of 16 now play Roblox, and viral star Lil Nas X’s recent live shows in Roblox amassed 33 million views over two days.

It was summer, with long days and balmy evenings, but it did not feel like summer. I had been cheating on my husband for six months by this point and the weight of my mistake, of my duplicity, was holding me in place like I was underwater. I was running on empty and caring very little about anything.

2020 has been a difficult year for most entertainment brands. The film and television industry is looking at an estimated $160 billion loss over the next 5 years, according to market research firm Ampere Analysis. Numerous sporting events and concerts have been postponed or outright canceled. Disney said the pandemic cost its parks, experiences and products segment around $2.4 billion in lost operating income during Q4. Even with promising vaccines on the horizon, recovery could still be spotty and winding, especially for the theatrical sector where audience behavior may have changed for good.

Since then, Fortnite has doubled down by hosting a series of buzzy virtual concerts, including the reality-bending Travis Scott show in April that was viewed by 45 million players, as well as the season-ending Galactus event that took place earlier this week and introduced the relatively obscure Marvel comic character to a record 15.3 million concurrent players. In April, it also launched Party Royale — a separate, fighting-free island within Fortnite that features both a concert stage and a theater space for virtual events.

It’s been almost a year since Fortnite’s exclusive Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker event, where fans got a sneak peek at the movie, played with lightsabers, and danced with director J.J. Abrams’ avatar, all inside the massively popular online game. Reviews of the event were a mixed bag, with some applauding it as a bold step towards the future of interactive entertainment while others finding it underwhelming and blatantly promotional. Regardless, no one could deny that Fortnite and Disney were onto something in their innovative collaboration.

On the Fourth of July, it was my birthday. I had arranged a party at home in my garden in the evening before the day itself. My favourite sort of party; messy and disorganised with bowls full of crisps everywhere. Cheesy music from tinny speakers and sweet cocktails in plastic glasses. As many friends as I could round up, which was a lot, because of the cocktails.

On the night of my birthday party, he arrived late and he did not bring his wife. By the time he arrived, I was too drunk and overexcited, visibly far happier than I should have been to see him.

(I’d be paying for my own present, though. That was the deal. He’d already told the necessary lies to his wife and got everything ready, but he could not pay for the hotel, because his wife would notice the spending).

Together, these virtual events herald the emergence of a metaverse — a continuous and persistent virtual space in which users are free to explore, create, and interact with the environment and each other. A digital third place on steroids, if you will. Although the MMO games cited above are still just “protoverses” and we are still years away before any of them would evolve into a true metaverse, it is interesting to think ahead and start considering the wide-ranging and zeitgeist-shifting implications of such a new platform. This is especially pertinent for entertainment brands, given the platform’s enormous potential for immersive storytelling and interactive world-building.

My lover asked me if he would be invited to the party. Well, no. What happened is that he told me that he was invited. “It’s your birthday,” he told me. “I love you. I should be there.”

I did not argue with him. I didn’t want to argue. I wanted him there, even though I could see it was a foolish move to have him anywhere near me in public. But I reasoned that people knew that we were “friends.” I told myself it would be weirder, in fact, not to invite him.